Utahns with ties to Nepal react to deadly flooding

MIDVALE — Utahns with close connections to Nepal are reeling after devastating flooding in the country killed hundreds of people and left more than 1,000 missing.

Among them is Dean Cardinale, a Utah business owner who has spent decades leading trekking expeditions in Nepal and several other countries across all seven continents. He's the founder and lead guide for World Wide Trekking.

"I've been going to Nepal since I was in my early 20s, and it's got a special place in my heart," Cardinale said.

His travel inspired him to start the nonprofit Human Outreach Project, where he has helped coordinate humanitarian efforts in countries like Nepal, including solar power projects and medical assistance following major earthquakes.

"Knowing that you're going to go over there as a tourist and bring people over there to enjoy it, you really should leave something behind if you can," Cardinale said.

The recent flooding, which heavily impacted areas along Nepal's northern border with China, destroyed entire villages and swept away infrastructure. Cardinale doesn't travel to this area for his trekking trips, but he said the region does attract tourists.

He compared the event to the flash flooding Utahns sometimes see in slot canyons.

"Here in Utah, we could think of it as a flash flood in the desert," he said. "These big acts of Mother Nature can't be controlled, are hard to forecast, and they come without notice. It's sad to see."

Sunil Pandey, a Nepal native living in Utah, said communication challenges have made it difficult to learn the fate of family and friends in affected areas.

"No information has been confirmed," Pandey said. "There are many hundreds of these casualties."

Pandey is the founder and president of the new nonprofit, Asian Community Development Center. He says the organization is working with members of the Nepali community on providing assistance.

He said he has been coordinating with friends and relatives in an effort to locate missing loved ones.

"I am texting my friends' families, and they are texting those who are missing," he said. "There is no signal."

Cardinale said reports that a collapsed glacier contributed to the flooding are especially concerning. He said he has witnessed changes in the region firsthand.

"When you go regularly, year after year after year, you see the change," he said.

Despite the tragedy, Cardinale said the Nepalese people are known for their resilience and generosity.

"Things come hard, and things aren't easy, but they are also some of the happiest, friendliest, most giving people that you'll ever meet," he said.

Cardinale plans to return to Nepal in about a month. He said he will work with contacts on the ground to assess needs and expects future fundraising or humanitarian efforts may be launched to support recovery.

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